Holding Out Hope for Missing NC Teens

Help Find Ray Pierce and Jake Ziegler“We’re almost at the beach.” That was the last contact anyone received from two Sherrills Ford teens that have been missing for a week and a half. The text message was sent from Ray Pierce’s cell phone to his girlfriend in the early morning hours of October 13. Pierce and his friend Jake Ziegler were driving from a party in Catawba County to watch the sunrise in Myrtle Beach.

Authorities are conducting searches in both North and South Carolina, as they have been doing for the last several days. The last ping on Pierce’s cell phone puts them on I-77 in Fairfield County, between mile markers 44 and 47. Authorities believe that the teens were involved in a car accident somewhere along the interstate or highway. The green color of Ziegler’s 2006 Pontiac G6 has made it difficult to locate the car among trees and bushes.

The families of the missing teenagers have hired private investigators, psychics, and tour helicopters in an attempt to locate their loved ones. Most recently, search efforts are being focused in Chester County in the Great Falls area and along I-77. Information is being shared via a Facebook page dedicated to finding Ziegler and Pierce, both seniors at Bandys High School.

A $5,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to the safe return of Jake Ziegler and Ray Pierce. If you have any details on the whereabouts of the missing teenagers, contact the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office at (828) 465-8301.

Leave a Reply